The Con-Dem’s coalition has backed down on the threat to Job Seekers Allowance over the uproar of the forced labour scheme, ‘Workfare.’

However, the government and the naturally greedy corporations hope this concession will be enough to take the wind out of the sails of the snow balling campaign around Workfare with their typical political half-lies and misinformation.

The facts remain:

Not all sanctions have been removed

Workfare is ONLY one of FIVE government work schemes

The largest scheme ‘Work Program’ can see benefits lost for up to SIX months

Workfare screws us all over (well except the rich of course)

There is little argument that Workfare is a blow to the working class. Experience stacking shelves and sweeping floors offers no help finding a job. Employers have exploited the paranoid media frenzy that decries every claimant as a lazy scrounger, whilst brazenly ignoring the almost non-existent job vacancies. They have spun the lie that what is in the interests of private enterprise and government is somehow in ours.

Whilst workfare is in place with or without JSA sanctions there will be less paid jobs. Employers have used the scheme to replace paid jobs with slave labour. For example, Tesco shed 18% (3,500) of its jobs before applying for 3,000 workers under government schemes, never too shy to increase their profit.

Perhaps it is no over exaggeration to say people lucky enough to have work should be more worried about Workfare. If companies are able to use government sponsored slave labour then, as proved by Tesco’s, they will slash their workforce on the payroll. In turn this will increase national unemployment and when people are desperate for work with they will be willing to work for less and less undercutting each other towards a race to the bottom.

How long can the paltry safety net of the minimum wage hold out under the pressure, especially once sanctions remove benefits and plunge people into poverty?

It’s certainly not the unemployed who should be blamed. Capitalists screw their suppliers, and then screw their workforce and then the consumer. Throughout the economic mess profits of the big corporations only continue to rise. This speaks volumes.

Boycott Workfare

The movement against workfare is growing stronger by the day with corporations and government running scared blaming the bearded and cloaked Anarchists and Trotskyites.

It’s been successful so far because people are not asking for concessions; they want the DWP to clearly state the Workfare program is over.

Neither is it looking for politicians or leaders to offer us solutions. It is out of the control of government or negotiating organisations like unions. The movement aims to hit profits by directly stopping sales. When workfare is no longer profitable companies will pull out, not when they believe it to be morally dubious.

This is what scares them and will force change.

Saturday 3rd March

Protests against workfare will be taking place in 35 (and counting) locations tomorrow as part of a National Day of Action called by Boycott Workfare. For the latest details of all protests visit their website at: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=359

We will be out in Lincoln. Plans are to meet at the Stonebow on the High Street @ 12.00

The Economist issued a correction on the page you’ve referenced: “An earlier version of this chart and text incorrectly stated that Tesco had shed the most jobs between 2009 and 2010. This was not the case. In fact, Tesco increased its workforce by 3,500 jobs. We apologise for the error.”